Former Oasis singer Noel Gallagher dedicated Half The World Away to the late Caroline Aherne at a concert in Nashville
Noel Gallagher paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend Caroline Aherne by dedicating his song Half The World Away to her during a show in the US.
The former Oasis frontman only discovered that The Royle Family star had died just hours before he took to the stage in Nashville on Saturday and he sang a moving version of his 1994 hit, which became the BBC sitcom’s theme tune, in her memory.
Noel told the crowd at the Ryman Auditorium: “I want to dedicate the next song to a friend of mine who died this afternoon.
“Her name was Caroline and she was a very, very, very funny woman.
“She used this next song on a very, very, very, very brilliant sitcom in England called The Royle Family.”
He finished by adding, “So, wherever you are,” and pointing heavenward, before launching into the song.
The 49-year-old, who is touring with his band Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, had promised the tribute earlier on his Instagram account.
He shared a picture of Caroline with the caption, “RIP Kaz … I shall sing for you tonight. (My god you made us laugh!)”
Caroline starred as Denise Best in The Royle Family, a sitcom about a working class family sitting in their living room which became the toast of the 1999 British Comedy Awards, winning four trophies including best actress for her. It also went on to take home the best sitcom Bafta in 2000 and 2007.
Her co-star Ralf Little, who played brother Anthony in the BBC sitcom, praised Noel’s gesture on Twitter, writing, “The Chief never lets you down.”
Caroline died on Saturday at her home in Timperley, Greater Manchester, at 52 after a battle with lung cancer.
She was also best known for her riotous chat show The Mrs Merton Show, which also won a string of awards, and more recently she narrated Channel 4 show Gogglebox.
